Teachers' competences in the design and delivery of chemistry practical work

The aim of the study was to investigate chemistry teacher’s competencies in the design and delivery of chemistry practical work in selected schools of Kitwe District. The objectives of the study were to: determine the nature of chemistry practical activities designed and delivered by teachers of chemistry, establish the range of science process skills developed through the practical activities designed by teachers of chemistry and describe the level of creativity in practical activities designed by the teachers of chemistry. The study used a qualitative approach and a case study design. The target population was chemistry teachers teaching the two chemistry syllabi; pure Chemistry (5070) and Science (5124) in selected schools of Kitwe district. The sample comprised of six chemistry teachers and 24 pupils drawn from three secondary schools. The study involved the use of: observation schedule, semi-structured interview schedule, focus group discussion guide and document analysis schedule to collect data. The findings showed that most of the practical activities designed by teachers were characterised by learners following laid down procedures. It was also noted that the focus of most of these practical activities was to expose learners to pieces of apparatus, verify and confirm what was discussed during theory lessons. The range of science process skills developed from the nature of chemistry practical activities designed and delivered by chemistry teachers were; observation, classification, communication, measuring, experimenting, interpreting data and using numbers. However, these process skills were not effectively developed to the extent that could lead learners to construct their own understanding. There was no variety in the practical activities given to the learners, pointing to lack of creativity and innovation in the practical activities designed by chemistry teachers. There is need for science teacher educators to strengthen their education programs in terms of student exposure to practical activities especially investigative ones. Science standard officers should organise workshops and continuous professional development for chemistry teachers to train them on how to design practical activities. Chemistry teachers should form communities of practice so as to share ideas on practical activity design and material improvisation